Two-speed clutching and reversing system for washing machine drive



Feb. 9, 1965 WATER SUPPLY H. GREENWALD TWO-SPEED CLUTCHING AND REVERSING SYSTEM FOR WASHING MACHINE DRIVE Filed June 3, 1963 FIG! INVENTOR. Harry Greenviald ATTORNEY Paras te-s Feb. a, less 3,168,837 p TWO-SIEEI) CLUTQHENG AND REVERSL'NG SYSTEM FUR WASHKNG MAQHHNE Dl'tlWE Harry Greenwaid, 149-47 Powells ovc Blvd, Whitestone, Long island, NIL, assignor of one-third to Louis Wolff and one-third to Harry Silbergiait, eoth of Ereolrlyn, N.Y.

Filed June 3, 1963, Ser. No, 284,972 5 Claims. (Ci. 74-368) This invention relates to power transmission apparatus for driving a load in either direction at a slow speed and for driving the load in either selected direction at high speed.

By way of illustration, the apparatus is shown applied to the operation of a tumbler type of clothes receptacle in a clothes washing machine.

In a clothes washing machine it is desirable to operate the clothes basket first in a forward direction and then in a backward direction, to get better swishing and washing action and to prevent bundling of the clothes in the basket.

Such washing or swishing operation is normally accomplished at slow speed. Similarly, the rinsing operation is operated at slow speed. After the washing operation and after the rinsing operation, it is desirable to spin the basket at high speed in order to remove a substantial part of the water from the wet clothes, in order to prepare the clothes for the next step in the overall operation, which may be the rinsing operation after the washing is completed, or the drying operation after the rinsing, in order to make thefinal drying operation easier and quicker.

In a present conventional washing machine all of the operations of washing, rinsing and spin-drying are performed in one direction of rotation of the basket. The reverse operation or backward drive of the basket, during washing and rinsing operations, is not presently available becauseof the difficulty of arranging for a reverse or back- Ward driving operation that may be superimposed upon the simple structure that is presently utilized for the forward driving operations.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple modification that may be applied or added to the present conventional structure so the reversing operation may be easily achieved, in order that the advantages of reciprocating rotation of the basket containing the clothes may be achieved.

In the present conventional drive, between the motor and the clothes basket, a pulley and belt arrangement is provided to be driven by the motor, to impart a relatively low speed to a drive shaft which is arranged to be coupled to the clothes basket to drive the clothes basket at correspondingly slow speed. A simple helical spring is used as a unidirectional clutch between said slow speed drive shaft and a coaxially aligned driven shaft that is connected to the clothes basket.

In all forward washing and rinsing operations, the unidirectional helical spring serves as a unidirectional clutch between the slow speed drive shaft and the driven shaft element connected to the clothes basket.

With this type of a helical spring clutch, reverse or backward rotation of the drive shaft, achieved by reversing the direction of rotation of the motor, will cause relative slipping between the drive shaft and the helical spring. Thus, the helical spring will not function as a clutching element between the drive shaft and the driven shaft element connected to the basket, when the drive shaft is reversed due to reversal of the motor.

This type of simple helical clutch is utilized, however, because of its low cost and simplicity and elfectiveness for unidirectional operation at slow speed for driving operation. Also it permits a simple declutching operation when the basket is driven by the motor at a relatively high speed, through a diiferent drive' connection, since the slow speeddrive shaft is now rotating in a relatively backward direction.

V In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the benefits of simplicity and economy of the helical spring are retained for operation of the-clothes basket in forward direction, either at slow speed or at high speed, and the desired operation of rotating the basket at slow speed in a reverse or backward direction is achieved by means of the modification and addition dis closed herein for coupling the drive shaft energized from the motor and the driven shaft connected to the clothes basket.

In accordance with the present invention, the drive shaft and the coaxially located driven shaft with which the helical spring clutch is already associated, are individually provided with symmetrical, concentric, annular elements, each shaped to constitute a half seat of a pulley for a driving belt. Two half-seats are disposed closely juxtaposed in close coaxial position to receive a driving type belt. The belt is a single loop belt which normally rides loosely around these two half-seats and around an associated idler pulley roller, so that under non-driving conditions the belt will not drivingly engage the twopart seat defined by the two half-seat coaxial elements.

Thus, during normal forward operations when the basket is driven in a forward direction, either at low speed or at high speed, such belt will be loose and will not engage the two half-seat elements. When reverse operation of the basket is desired, this loop belt will be tensioned by suitable means to tightly engage the two half-seats, as by a suitable external pressure idler, suitably mounted for rotation on a pivoted lever, by means of which the idler may be pressed against said loop belt. The loop belt will now serve as a moving friction clutch element to progressively engage the two half-seat elements, and as those two elements rotate, the loop belt will rotate and move progressively and incrementally with those two halfpulley seats. The loop belt thus serves as a continuously moving clutch between those two half-seat elements, while maintaining those two half-seat elements frictionally held against relative rotation or relatively angular movement.

The manner in which the transmission apparatus is constructed and operated is defined in more detail in the following specification, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a. washing machine, showing a front door to permit clothesinsertion into and removal from the. basket, and showing the panel of controls supporting and enclosing the sequencecontrolling switches for controlling the sequence of operations in the speed-controlling power transmission apparatus between the drive motor and the basket;

FIGURE 2. is a schematic and functional diagram showing the mechanical and electrical arrangement for controlling the various elements of the power transmission as predetermined by the switches on the control panel in FIGURE 1; and

FIGUREB is a schematic functional view of the looped belt and the two half-seat pulleys.

As shown in FIGURE 1, a clothes washing machine 10 is provided with a receptacle or clothes basket 12 to which access is had through an opening closed by a front windowdoor 14, that is pivotally supported on a hinge 16 and provided With a suitable cam lock handle 18 by means of which the door may be opened to permit access to the basket and then closed to provide a tight hydraulic seal around the rim of the opening by pressure of the door against said rim. The opening for such access is-formed in the front surface 20 of the boX which encloses the operating mechanism of the washing machine. A box 24. l

. tively conventional.

amass? contains various time-controlled switches that are arranged to operate in a predetermined sequence tocontrol the washing, rinsing and spin-drying operations of the basket with the load of clothes therein.

The functionaldisposition and arrangement of the control equipment and the driving apparatus from the motor to the clothes basket, is shown in some detail in FIGURE 2.

As shown in FIGURE-2, the clothes basket 12 is arranged to be driven by power derived from a reversible electric motor which receives its operating energy from a house lighting circuit, for example 23, through a switch 3b associated with the washing machine and which serves to activate the various controls in the control box 24 for the machine.

The motor 26 drives a main power shaft 32 to which are connected'two drive pulleys, a small drive pulley 34 and a large drive pulley 36. The small drive pulley 3,4 operates'through a belt 44 to rotate a large driven pulley 44 at slow speed in the direction of rotation of the drive shaft 32 of the motor 26.

The large drive pulley 36 operates through a belt 42 to drive a small driven pulley 46 at high speed when proper driving conditions are established. Normally, the belt 42 dangles and rides loosely around the large drive pulley 3t; and the small driven pulley 46. To establish driving conditions between those two pulleys and 46, the driving belt 42 is caused to be taut and tensioned by means of an idler pulley 48 that is moved to press against belt 42. Said idler pulley 48 is rotatably supported on a pivoted lever 5% which is normally biased by a spring 52 to a position at which said idler pressure pulley 43 is held out of engagement with belt 42, so said belt 42 will be loose and not held taut. to be tensioned and rendered taut to be operative to transmit power from the drive pulley 36 to the driven pulley 46, an electromagnet 54 is energized from a suitable supply source 56 upon closure of the control push button 58, whereupon the electromagnet 54 pulls the pivoted lever St) to a position at which the idler pulley 48 presses against and tensions the belt 42 to enable said belt to transmit driving power from the drive pulley 36 to the driven pulley 46. The dimensions of those two pulleys 36 and are such as'to rotate the driven pulley 46 at high speed.

The dimensions of the other'two pulleys 34 and 44 are such as to rotate the driven pulley 44 at slow speed through its belt 40, which for the purpose of the present description, is always in driving relation between those two pulleys 34 and 44.

The manner in which the driving power from the motor 26 is transmitted through those pulleys and belts to the clothes basket 12 may now be considered. 7

The slow speed driven pulley 44 is keyed to a drive stub shaft 60, said pulley 44 and said stub drive shaft being appropriately supported and mounted for joint rotation about an axis 64. A driven stub shaft 66 is coaxially and rotatabiy supported end-to-end adjacent to stub drive shaft 6d. Said stub driven shaft '66 is essentially an extension of a main shafted which supports the clothes basket 12' and the high speed driven pulley 46. The drive stubshaft 6t and the coaxial driven stub shaft 66 are arranged to be mechanically coupled by means of a helical spring clutch 7h, appropriately disposed to transmit power" from the drive stub shaft 60 to the driven stub shaft 66, but to permit relatively free movement of-the driven shaft 66 whenthat shaft is driven at a speed that is greater than the speed of rotation of the drive stub shaft 64). 7

Up to this point, the operation of the apparatus is rela- When the clothes basket 12 is to be driven at slow speed for washing or for rinsing operations, the motor 2d, acting through drive shaft 32 and drive pulley 34and belt 451: suppliespower to the slowspeed driven pulley 44, which, inturn, operates through When the'drive belt 42 is the drive stub shaft 60 and the spring coupling 70 to drive the driven stub shaft 66 and the shaft 68 for the basket 12. The high speed driven pulley 46 is also rotated with the driven stub shaft 66 but the belt 42 is loose on the high-speed driven pulley 46 and therefore merely rides freely without transmitting any power between the motor drive pulley 36 and said high-speed driven pulley 46.

Prior to the operation of the basket atslow speed, the container for the water in which the basket 12 operates, indicated by the vessel 74, will have been filled with water at the selected temperature from the water supply by means of a valve '76 appropriately controlled by a control switch 78 that will be controlled in the normal sequence in the box 24 at the top of the washing machine shown in FIGURE 1. Similarly, between the washing and the rinsing operations, water will be drained out of the vessel 74 through a suitable conduit and valve system indicated schematically by the valve 82 and the control switch 84. Thus, the conventional operations in a conventional washing machine, of the type indicated in FIGURE 2, will involve the schematic controls that initiate the operation of the motor, after the water receptacle has been appropriately filled, and the clothes basket 12 has been appropriately filled, and the door safety closed, for eX- ample. The slow-speed operation will be effected through the slow-speed drive pulley 34, the belt 4%, the slow-speed driven pulley 44, both of the drive and driven shaft elements 6% and 66 and the connecting unidirectional spring clutch 7%, to drive the shaft 63 for the clothes basket 12, for slow-speed forward rotation to tumble the clothes in the basket 12 continually into the bath of water in the vessel74.

After a washing operation has been completed and a subsequent rinsing operation has been completed, the wa ter vessel 74 will be emptied, and the high-speed driving connection will be established for spin-drying. As previ ously explained, the idler 48 is then pressed against the belt 42 to tighten that belt 42 into driving condition be tween the drive pulley 36 and the driven pulley 45 to drive the basket shaft 68 and the basket 12 at high speed, to centrifuge the major part of the water from the clothes and leave them in merely damp condition, ready for hanging or for insertion into a dryer.

As previously stated, present conventional apparatus in 'such washing machines do not provide for reverse or backward operation ofthe clothes basket. Such backward rotation of the basket is desirable since it would provide better water action through the clothes, both in the washing operation and in the rising operation, and since it would tend to keep the clothes in loose assembly rather than in closely bundled assembly.

Since the helical spring clutch 7%) is essentially a unidirectional'type of coupling, some other coupling must be provided and utilized for the reverse or backward drive from the motor to the basket 12.

The motor 26 itself, is usually a single phase motor which can be reversed without difficulty. The'reupon the a motor drive'shaft 32 and its drive pulley 34 will be rotated in the backward direction, and, through the belt 4f the low-speed pulley 44 will be driven in a backward slowspeed operation. It remains now to transmit the backward rotation of the slow-speed pulley 44 to the shaft 68 for clothes basket 12.

To provide the slow-speed reverse or backward drive from the slow speed pulley 44 to the basket 12, an auxiliary coupling ht) is provided, the principle of whichwill be first explained in connection with a showing in FIG- URE 3.

As shown in FIGURE 3, power is to be transmitted from a drive shaft 60A to a driven shaft 66A, which may.

correspond to the two stub shafts oil and 66 in FIGURE 2. The two shafts 60A and 66A, in FiGUREv 3, are coaxial andindependently rotatable about their common axis64A. The drive shaft 60A is provided with a half-- seat pulley section 92A having a symmetrical, contoured seat 94A that corresponds substantially to the right hand half of the seating surface for a belt 96A, shown supported on and depending from an idler pulley 98A.

The driven shaft 66A is similarly provided with a halfseat pulley section 102A, having a contoured seating surface 104A shaped to receive the left-hand seating surface of the belt 96A.

The belt 96A is a single loop belt which depends from the idler pulley 98A and loops around the two seating portions 94A and 104A of the two half-seat pulley sections 92A and 102A, of the respective shafts 60A and 66A. Under normal conditions, when the two pulley half-seat sections 92A and 102A are not to be coupled, the loop belt 96A will merely dangle from the idler 98A and will not engage the two pulley half-seat sections 92A and 102A.

When coupling is desired, however, between the two shafts 60A and 66A, the loop belt %A will be appropriately tightened so the belt will engage the seating surfaces 94-A and 104A sufiiciently tightly to prevent relative rotation between those two half-seat pulley sections 94A and 104A. Under such conditions, driving power from the drive shaft 60A will be transmitted through the two half-seat pulley sections 94A and 104A and the incremental portion of the running loop belt 96A then in contact with those two half-seat pulley sections 94A and 104A will serve as a couplingbetween those two half-seat pulley sections. The belt 96A will thus move in its own path and will continuously supply a progressively changing incremental length to frictionally engage the two adjacent half-seat sections 94A and 104A to transmit power between those two half-seats, from the drive shaft 69A to the driven shaft 66A.

Thus, the loop belt 96A serves as a coupling between drive shaft 60A and driven shaft 66A so long as the belt 96A is tensioned tightly to sit and ride in the two halfseat sections 94A and 104A. The manner in which this prin ciple of operation is utilized in the transmission in FIG- URE 2 may now be considered.

Utilizing the same numerals as applied to the parts in FIGURE 3, except omitting the capital letter A in each case, the arrangement in FIGURE 2 is such as to include a cylindrical or hollow-shaft extension 92, mechanically secured on stub shaft 60 with the driven pulley 44, and a similarly but oppositely facing hollow-shaft extension 102, mechanically secured on stub shaft 66 with the driven pulley 46. The two cylindrical hollow-shaft extensions 92 and 102 are each provided with half-seat belt-receiving contoured sections 94 and 104 which together outline the proper and full seating contour for a belt 96 which is looped around the two half-seat sections 94 and 104 and an idler pulley 98. The idler roller pulley serves to normally support the belt as when it is not in use, so the belt 96 will dangle freely, out of contact with the half-seat pulley sections 2 and 102.

During the slow speed and high speed forward operations, the belt 96 is loose. Only during the reverse or backward operation of the basket at slow speed is the belt 96 put into service. At that time, the belt 96 is appropriately tightened so that it will engage these two contoured half-seat pulley sections 94 and 104 with a frictional grip that is sufliciently tight to prevent relative rotation or" those two half-seats, 94 and 104, and thereby the belt will assure that those two half-seat sections rotate together under the influence of the drive shaft to which the half-seat section 92 is coupled.

In order to tighten the belt 96 to cause that belt to tightly engage those two half-seat sections 94 and 104, a pressure idler 110 is provided which is rotatably supported on a pivoted lever 112. Normally, the lever 112 is biased by avbiasing spring 114 to hold idler 110 away from belt 96. When the operation of the belt 9% is desired as a coupling the pivoted lever 112 is moved to press idler 110 to engaging position, against belt 96, by the energization of a magnet 116 upon closure of an ap- 6 propriate switch 118 in the control equipment for the washing machine.

Thus, when reverse operation or backward drive of the basket is desired, the switch 118 is closed by the appropriate timing mechanism in the box 24 for the control of the washing machine, and the pivoted lever 112 is actuated to press the pressure idler against the belt 96 to pull and pass the belt 96 tightly into engagement with the two halfseats 94- and 104. Backward rotation of the drive extension element 12 moves the belt 96 with it, and the belt then transmits frictional driving action to the seat 104 of the driven extension 102 that is coupled to the shaft 68 for the clothes basket 12. The basket 12 then rotates backwardly so long as the belt 96 is held tightly against the two half-seat pulley sections 94 and 104 of the two extensions 92 and 102.

When rotation in the backward direction is to be terminated, switch 118 is opened to de-energize the magnet 116, whereupon the return bias spring 114- pulls the pivoted lever 112 in the direction to remove the pressure idler 110 from the belt 96. That belt 96 thereupon is loosened and disengages the two half-seat pulley sections 94 and 104, and the belt ceases to serve as a friction coupling between the two extensions 92 and 102.

The other operations as predetermined by the control settings in the box 24 then continue their sequence of operation to cause the washing machine to operate according to the predetermined schedule established by such control equipment.

7 Thus, the invention as described herein provides a simple coupling arrangement that may be easily added to present existing conventional equipment by very simple modification, without changing or affecting the design and construction of the equipment as presently designed and made.

The manner in which the invention may be applied to conventional equipment may be further modified in the details of design of those elements that may be added to the present conventional equipment, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a washing machine provided with a receptable for receiving clothes to be washed and a motor for supplying power to said receptacle through a drive shaft mechanically coupled to the receptacle;

a power transmission for transmitting driving power from the motor to said drive shaft, said transmissron comprising a high-speed driven pulley keyed to said drive shaft and said high-speed driven-pulley having a co-axial shaft extension co-axially rotatable with said high speed pulley;

a slow-speed driven pulley;

a shaft supporting said slow-speed driven pulley and embodying a co-axial shaft extension facing and coaxially aligned with the shaft extension of said highspeed pulley;

a helical spring clutch fitting over the two co-axial shaft extensions to establish a uni-directional forward driving connection from the slow-speed pulley to the high-speed pulley and to said drive shaft for the recep'tacle;

means constituting a first auxiliary half-pulley section secured to the slow-speed pulley and disposed coaxially and concentrically about the slow-speed pulley co-axial shaft extension;

means constituting a second auxiliary half-pulley section secured to the high speed pulley and. disposed coaxially and concentrically about the high-speed pulley shaft extension, said first and said second 1 half pulley sections being disposed to face each other andto define a pulley seat;

an idler pulley having a seat disposed co-operatively relative to said two half-pulley sections;

a belt normally loosely traversing said idler pulley seat and said seat defined by said two half-pulley sections;

and means for tightening said belt during backward rotation of said slow-speed pulley to enable said belt in such tightened condition to serve as a coupling between said two half-pulley sections to transmit backward driving power from the motor through said slow-speed pulley to the receptacle drive shaft.

2. A drive mechanism comprising a drive shaft;

a driven shaft co-axially aligned with said drive shaft;

a spring clutch engaging the two shafts for uni-directional driving action;

means for rotating the drive shaft in forward or in backward direction;

and means independent of the spring clutch for coupling the two shafts for backward drive, said coupling means including a first half-pulley section secured to the drive shaft;

a second half-pulley secured to the driven shaft and disposed in close juxtaposition to said first half-pulley section to provide a circular contoured seat for a belt;

an idler pulley co-planar with said circular contoured seat for such belt;

a loop belt normally loosely looping said idler pulley and an arcuate segment of said circular contoured seat;

and a pressure idler for pressing said looped belt taut to idlyengage the tWo-half-pulley sections and to serve incrementally as a continuous travelling coupling between the two half-pulley sections.

3. A drive mechanism comprising a drive element having a first half-pulley seat symmetrical about an axis of rotation;

a driven element having a second half-pulley seat symmetrical about said axis of rotation and facing said first half-pulley seat to define therewith a circular contoured belt seat;

an idler pulley spaced from and co-planar with said circular contoured belt seat;

a loop belt normally loosely looping said idler pulley and said circular contoured belt seat;

and means for rendering said loop belt taut to tightly engage said two half-pulley seats and to serve as a rolling frictional coupling between said two seats to enable the drive element to rotate the driven element.

4. A drive mechanism, as in claim 3, in which said means for rendering said loose loop belt taut includes an idler pulley and means for pressing said idler pulley against said loose loop belt to develop the necessary tautness to establish sufficient friction to maintain coupling action.

5. A drive mechanism as in claim 3 in which said means for rendering said loose loop belt taut includes an idler pulley having a circular peripheral belt seat;

a pivoted lever for supporting said idler pulley adjacent said loose loop belt;

spring means for biasing the lever to hold said idler pulley in position to leave said loose loop belt in loose condition relative to said two half-pulley seats;

and means selectively operable to move said lever to press said supported idler pulley against said loop belt to render said loop belt taut.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,026,739 3/62 l-lungerford et al 74363 DON A. WAITE, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A WASHING MACHINE PROVIDED WITH A RECEPTABLE FOR RECEIVING CLOTHES TO BE WASHED AND A MOTOR FOR SUPPLYING POWER TO SAID RECEPTABLE THROUGH A DRIVE SHAFT MECHANICALLY COUPLED TO THE RECEPTACLE; A POWER TRANSMISSION FOR TRANSMITTING DRIVING POWER FROM THE MOTOR TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT, SAID TRANSMISSION COMPRISING A HIGH-SPEED DRIVEN PULLEY KEYED TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND SAID HIGH-SPEED DRIVEN-PULLEY HAVING A CO-AXIAL SHAFT EXTENSION CO-AXIALLY ROTATABLE WITH SAID HIGH SPEED PULLEY; A SLOW-SPEED DRIVEN PULLEY; A SHAFT SUPPORTING SAID SLOW-SPEED DRIVEN PULLEY AND EMBODYING A CO-AXIAL SHAFT EXTENSION FACING AND COAXIALLY ALIGNED WITH THE SHAFT EXTENSION OF SAID HIGHSPEED PULLEY; A HELICAL SPRING CLUTCH FITTING OVER THE TWO CO-AXIAL SHAFT EXTENSIONS TO ESTABLISH A UNI-DIRECTIONAL FORWARD DRIVING CONNECTION FROM THE LOW-SPEED PULLEY TO THE HIGH-SPEED PULLEY AND TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT FOR THE RECEPTACLE; MEANS CONSTITUTING A FIRST AUXILIARY HALF-PULLEY SECTION SECURED TO THE SLOW-SPEED PULLEY AND DISPOSED COAXIALLY AND CONCENTRICALLY ABOUT THE SLOW-SPEED PULLEY CO-AXIAL SHAFT EXTENSION; MEANS CONSTITUTING A SECOND AUXILIARY HALF-PULLEY SECTION SECURED TO THE HIGH SPEED PULLEY AND DISPOSED COAXIALLY AND CONCENTRICALLY ABOUT THE HIGH-SPEED PULLEY SHAFT EXTENSION, SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND HALF PULLEY SECTIONS BEING DISPOSED TO FACE EACH OTHER AND TO DEFINE A PULLEY SEAT; AN IDLER PULLEY HAVING A SEAT DISPOSED CO-OPERATIVELY RELATIVE TO SAID TWO HALF-PULLEY SECTIONS; A BELT NORMALLY LOOSELY TRAVERSING SAID IDLER PULLEY SEAT AND SAID SEAT DEFINED BY SAID TWO HALD-PULLEY SECTIONS; AND MEANS FOR TIGHTENING SAID BELT DURING BACKWARD ROTATION OF SAID SLOW-SPEED PULLEY TO ENABLE SAID BELT IN SUCH TIGHTENED CONDITION TO SERVE AS A COUPLING BETWEEN SAID TWO HALF-PULLEY SECTIONS TO TRANSMIT BACKWARD DRIVING POWER FROM THE MOTOR THROUGH SAID SLOW-SPEED PULLEY TO THE RECEPTACLE DRIVE SHAFT. 